Districting 2023

Roseville City School District
Overview

Roseville City School District Board of Education Districting Process

What is districting?

Roseville City School District’s Board of Education Members are currently elected in at-large elections. At-large elections are those in which all the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect all the members to the governing board. Under a by-trustee-area election system the district is divided into geographic areas - trustee areas – and a board member residing in each trustee area is elected by the registered voters who live in that trustee area.

The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) of 2001 states that “An at-large method of election may not be imposed or applied in a manner that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election.” A protected class is defined as a class of voters who are “members of a race, color, or language minority group.” 

Adopting a “by-trustee-area” election system ensures that a district is compliant with the California Voting Rights Act and protects the district against the threat of costly litigation.

The Board has approved a contract with Redistricting Partners to assist Roseville City School District (RCSD) to study the necessity of changing election methods, and if deemed necessary, draw “by trustee area” options that comply with the CVRA.

Throughout the approximate two month process, the Board will conduct five public hearings to receive community feedback on the proposed “by-trustee areas.” Two public hearings will be held before the release of draft maps, and at these hearings stakeholders will be asked to provide input on potential “communities of interest” to follow when shaping draft “by-trustee area” maps.

Final Map and Election Sequencing Approved by RCSD Board

Final Maps and Sequencing for Consideration on December 11, 2023 and December 14, 2023

Mapping Tool

All community members are invited and encouraged to submit draft maps utilizing the mapping tools below.

The PDF mapping tool can be downloaded here - District Mapping Tool

The online mapping tool can be accessed by visiting https://districtr.org/plan/208197. Please note: while not exact, this tool does help to build a map through an online platform. To ensure the trustee areas are balanced, do not use the deviation tally at the bottom of the page. Areas should be about 22,000 per trustee area.

Maps should be submitted to RCSD by November 17, 2023 for primary consideration and no later than December 1, 2023 for consideration.

As a reference, this map outlines the district by neighborhoods. Download here – District by Neighborhoods

Maps for Consideration

All maps submitted by the demographers and the public will be shared below.

Supplementary Materials

Timeline

All public meetings will be held in the RCSD Board Room at 1050 Main Street.

If the Board chooses to adopt a map and go to “by-trustee area” elections, the Board will consider a range of factors in selecting the final map including (but not limited to) equal population, communities of interest, compactness, contiguity of the areas, visible boundaries, and continuity in office. The Board will then consider a Resolution establishing “by-trustee area” elections, “by-trustee area” boundaries, and when each “by-trustee areas” election will be held.

When will the new trustee area map be used?

Because Board of Trustee elections are staggered every two years, two of the trustee areas will go into effect during the November 2024 election, and the last three trustee areas will go into effect during the November 2026 election. 

What criteria are used to create trustee areas?

Federal and state laws require that the trustee areas be nearly equal in population using the most recent Census counts. Some deviation is permitted, but the rule of thumb is that the difference between the most- and least-populous election districts should not exceed ten percent of the “ideal” district’s population, which is one third, one fifth, or one seventh of the jurisdiction’s total population (depending on the number of trustee areas). We understand that courts have generally accepted this standard for population equality (in school districts).

Federal law also requires that election districts be drawn to respect protected race/ethnic groups so that their communities are neither divided nor overly concentrated in individual districts. Protected groups are race/ethnic/language groups, including Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans (as well as some others).

In addition, the California Elections Code (Section 22000) lists criteria that may be considered during the redistricting (and initial districting process): In adjusting the boundaries of the divisions, the board may consider the following factors: (1) topography, (2) geography, (3) cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity, and compactness of territory, and (4) community of interests of the division.

Who creates the maps and how can the public participate in the process?

RCSD has hired professional demographers, Redistricting Partners, to draft and revise maps for consideration by the public and the Trustees. Revisions of these draft maps will be based on feedback received by the trustees and from the community during the public hearings, board meetings, or any feedback sent to the designated district staff member. Members of the public will be able to provide input about boundaries, as well as possible revisions of plans. The districting process will be transparent, and it is important that everyone will have the opportunity to suggest draft maps or map revisions.

Members of the public can email feedback@rcsdk8.org to provide comments about the redistricting maps, communities of interest, the process, etc. This feedback will be conveyed to the Board and our demographers.

What types of data are used when drawing maps?

The two most important datasets used to follow federal law are the 2020 US Census and the Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) datasets. Plans for election district boundaries will be based on the total population counts from Census 2020, which ensures that the district will draw relatively equal trustee areas. 

The CVAP dataset is used to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. This dataset comes from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). When drafting plans for consideration, the demographers use the CVAP data (citizens 18+, by race/ethnicity) to check for Federal Voting Rights Act compliance. Estimates from the ACS survey are also used to help identify communities of interest.

Every map drawn by the demographers will include both Census and CVAP datasets.

While not federally required, a highly important dataset for the District is the public testimony from residents. All pieces of testimony, whether emailed, spoken, or written, will be carefully reviewed by the District and demographers and used throughout the districting process.

How long will the boundaries be in place?

By law, election district boundaries must be evaluated after each decennial census. The 2030 U.S. Census redistricting population counts will be released in 2031. If the trustee areas adopted in 2023, in effect in 2024, still have equal total population counts, the boundaries will not need to be adjusted. If the total populations are not equally distributed, the trustee area boundaries will need to be adjusted so that the 2030 population is distributed evenly in the five trustee areas.

What will happen to current members of the Board of Trustees if election district boundaries change?

Current Board Members will continue in office until the expiration of their terms and their successors are elected. The first elections using the new boundaries will be in November 2024. Because Board elections are staggered (some trustees elected in 2024 and the rest elected in November 2026), the new plan will be completely implemented in 2026.

Where can I learn more about districting, “Communities of Interest” and other parts of this process?